Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, led a delegation to IWHR on April 9. The two sides held in-depth discussions on strengthening their comprehensive partnership and advancing practical cooperation outcomes.
Dr. Wang Jianhua, President of IWHR, reviewed the fruitful cooperation between IWHR and UNESCO in recent years in advancing global water security and governance. He noted that the two sides’ cooperation spans three key areas — water education, water science, and water culture, yielding tangible results, including:
· the jointly development of multilingual editions of Water Education Series and the organization of water education outreach programs for students across Asia, Africa, and Europe;
· the co-publication of River Ethics and China’s Practices in the six official UN languages, along with extensive international dissemination efforts;
· contributions to the World Water Science Report through the International Research and Training Center on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES), a UNESCO Category 2 Center hosted by IWHR, and active participation in UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and its flagship initiatives;
· the co-organization of major international platforms, including the International Seminar on Water Culture and the World Water Day Open Day Event, fostering broad engagement among experts, diplomatic communities, and media.
Wang emphasized that, at the outset of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period, IWHR is advancing a series of strategic research initiatives in dam safety, flood management, and river system governance to support high-quality development of the water sector and strengthen national and regional water security. In the face of escalating global water challenges driven by climate change, he reaffirmed IWHR’s commitment to deepening cooperation with UNESCO and other international and multilateral mechanisms such as IHP, focusing on key areas such as national water network development, flood control and management, and river and lake protection and restoration.
Prof. Shahbaz Khan spoke highly of China’s achievements in water sector development and commended the progress made through collaboration with IWHR over the past five years. He noted that China’s priorities in water development align closely with global concerns on water security and governance. Stressing that water is a critical enabler of peace and sustainable development, he pointed out that progress toward water-related Sustainable Development Goals remains insufficient. He expressed the hope that the two sides could further deepen cooperation in areas such as water culture communication, flood resilience, and river basin management, jointly advancing progress on global water-related goals and promoting integrated research in water science and engineering.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to international cooperation and exchange in water science and technology, Prof. Shahbaz Khan was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of IWHR.
The two sides also exchanged views on co-hosting international water events, strengthening talent exchange and capacity building, and supporting the establishment of China-initiated international water-related scientific organizations and cooperation mechanisms.
